Challenge 7 - Grow Green Bins

Help Grow Green Bins

One of the biggest types of waste is organic waste - this includes food waste and other things that can be composted, like tissues. However, many Torontonians just don’t have green bins. A large number of people who live in apartments and condos don’t have access to green bins. Many schools, small businesses and community centres across the City also don’t have green bins. That means thousands of tonnes of food waste are going to landfill.

The good news is that the City offers green bins to every apartment, business, school and building that the City collects waste from.

Challenge:

Help bring green bins to more Toronto buildings. Call or email the building manager of your apartment, school or community centre to let them know that you'd like green bins for the building.

If you have green bins at home, think about community centres, businesses and other places you go that don't have green bins, but should. Write to the relevant property manager, or call your Councillor.

Make a phone call, or use our suggestions below to send a letter to your building manager.

INSERT PERSONAL STATEMENT - e.g. "I live in this building." Or "I attend this school." Or "I use this Community Centre for weekly classes."

Food waste is the largest single type of waste in our garbage. Toronto studies found that up to 70% of garbage from residents in apartments is food waste.

Organic waste collection, or green bins, can greatly reduce waste, recycling valuable nutrients back into the soil. With City of Toronto collection, green bin pick up is free, which also means lower waste bills.

Please bring green bin collection to our APARTMENT / CONDO / SCHOOL / COMMUNITY building, so that we can start reducing waste.

Sincerely

YOUR NAME, ADDRESS / EMAIL ADDRESS

Take the extra step:Start a backyard composter, or set up a worm composter on your balcony or at your office!

I live in a house (with a composter in my backyard) so I asked my friend who works for condominium property managers about this. From what he said, this will be a significant challenge. The condominiums are looking at how they can introduce and manage a green bin program however they cannot even get all of the residents to follow the rules for recycling, let alone putting in an effective green bin program. Too many of the residents like the convenience of tossing everything in the chutes on their respective floors even if it the items do not belong and/or are so large that they get stuck in the chute (or even on occasion breaks the compactor). I would guess that more guidance and tips would be helpful for them.

Yes. Yesterday I sent the following letter to the manager of my apartment building:

Dear (Name of Manager),

I am writing today to ask Pinedale Properties Ltd. install Green Bins in the three Crescent Place apartment buildings. Though waste collection at the Crescent Place buildings is done through a private company, its waste is still directed to the City. The Crescent Place apartment buildings are therefore eligible to receive Green Bin service for free from the City of Toronto.

I recommend Green Bins be installed because:

• Food waste composes up to 70% of the garbage produced by Toronto apartment dwellers. By having residents deposit their food waste in the Green Bins the amount of garbage produced could be substantially reduced. This will amount to saving for Pinedale Properties, since apartment managers are only required to pay for the deposal of waste; the City of Toronto accepts Green Bin waste and recycling for free

• Food waste creates a noxious smell as it decomposes, which is extremely prevalent in the hallways of the Crescent Place apartment buildings in the area approaching the garbage chutes.

• If food waste was sealed up in the Green Bin bags and deposited in the Green Bins, it would not attract rodents.

If you are interested in receiving Green Bins please send a request to the City of Toronto by telephoning 311 or e-mailing 311@toronto.ca.

I have roomates and decided to post some City of Toronto info around the house to get them more comfortable with using the green bins. I have noticed an improvement after having the signs up for a week; our garbage is taking much longer to fill up. Yay!

Just sent an email to Dufferin Mall to suggest bringing green bins into the food court and washrooms. See below:

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Emily Bruch and I am a Dufferin Mall customer. I am contacting you today to suggest that you bring Green Bins into the mall to dispose of organic waste, which includes food as well as soiled paper products (napkins, paper towels, etc), diapers and feminine hygiene products. Green Bins would be very useful to have in the Food Court as well as the washrooms. This would be a great “green” initiative which would help to further modernize the mall and also attract more customers, since the environment is a very important issue to many Torontonians and many residents in the Dufferin Mall neighbourhood.

Food waste is the largest single type of waste in our garbage. Toronto studies found that up to 70% of garbage from residents in apartments is food waste. If more Toronto buildings offered green bins, we would have a lot less garbage!

Organic waste collection, or green bins, can greatly reduce waste, recycling valuable nutrients back into the soil. With City of Toronto collection, green bin pick up is free, which also means lower waste bills.

Please bring green bin collection to our mall, so that we can start reducing waste.

Please feel free to contact me at (phone number).

Sincerely,

Emily Bruch

(Address)

Sent email below to my friend’s apartment building:

“I regularly visit your building as my friend is a resident. I’ve noticed your green efforts such as your green roof and am contacting you on behalf of the Toronto Environmental Alliance today. We are currently promoting Toronto’s Waste-Free Challenge and are asking apartment buildings to help reduce waste by getting green bins for their residents.

Food waste is the largest single type of waste in our garbage. Toronto studies found that up to 70% of garbage from residents in apartments is food waste.

Organic waste collection, or green bins, can greatly reduce waste, recycling valuable nutrients back into the soil. With City of Toronto collection, green bin pick up is free, which also means lower waste bills.

Please bring green bin collection to (apartment name), so that we can start reducing waste.

Sincerely,

Emily Bruch

Toronto Environmental Alliance Volunteer"

Brought green bin into my church kitchen, and now washrooms as well. Recently emailed manager at work about updating waste facilities at our music school and will keep trying to follow up with her, as she said she is very busy right now. See message I sent: “…Also just wanted to mention something I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been doing a lot of environmental volunteer work this past year, and I was thinking I could help lead Merriam in becoming more Eco friendly, by helping update the recycling facilities and maybe getting green bins. I know Merriam has been working hard on updating the building and I think updating our waste management would help to further modernize the school. The first steps would be as simple as updated signage and more recycling bins. If there’s someone else I should contact about this let me know! Thanks, Emily”

I already use a green bin and have for some years. Likewise the organization where I am volunteering in the kitchen has green bins. And other places that I go. If I find a place in my life that doesn’t use green bins I will make a request.

TEA’s Waste Free challenge is a project of the Toronto Environmental Alliance. The project is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario. The challenge is sponsored by CUPE Local 416, the union representing Toronto City workers who collect, sort, recycle and compost Toronto's residential waste.